Hearts Left at Sea
by Day The Music Died
Summary: Chelly's life is changed when her Island home is visited by a band of French pirates, one of who' son takes a liking to her, but when a war suddenly causes them to return she is left with only ribbons, a heart locket and a promise. Will Chelly be able to keep her promise when her life flips again by another foreign visitor to her island years later, this this time British?
1. Chapter 1

**Hearts left at Sea **

**Chapter One: A Fateful Encounter **

A strong heady sweetness filled the night air, accompanied by a crashing echo of waves hitting the shore. Sounds of youthful laughter could be heard as a preadolescent girl scurried away from the shore in an innocent game of tag with the sea. She kicked and splashed, her toes curling into the damp grainy sand, oblivious to the change of fate she would soon encounter.

Far off at sea a young boy stood on a wooden deck, while the ship beneath him was cradled by the ocean's gentle waves. He had been standing there for nearly an hour, simply listening to the sound of the calm night awaiting the sign that they had approached land. At the mere age of thirteen, this was the young boy's first real voyage out at sea. Oh how he couldn't wait until he would be able to set foot on land and explore unknown places; he had heard from his father of all the adventures he had experienced and could now barely contain his excitement as he himself awaited such experiences.

"Approchant terre!" one of the crew members shouted in french from the crows nest. Soon the ship was filled with the hussle and bussle of crew members preparing to dock the ship upon the unknown shore.

"Y'know mon chere, I was your age when mon père took me on my first voyage," the boy's father spoke placing a stern hand on his shoulder "and now it's your turn. I'm not letting the crew off of the boat until morning, however I'll let you get the first peak of the island, but I expect you to be back here before daybreak." The boy looked up at his father, excitement filling his azure eyes as he spoke.

The boy stepped foot on the island's beach and looked around ,absorbing his surroundings. He had roamed the beaches of Nice in his homeland before but even those luxurious shores were nothing compared to where he now stood. He took a moment breathing in the sweet air before he heard the faint sound of laughter from a distance. Intrigued, the young boy slowly walked toward the joyous laughter.

"No Mr. Petrel[1], you can't have any more krill tonight, you'll upset your tummy" a childish voice spoke in mock sternness. The voice came from a small island girl, one of whom quickly caught the interest of the young boy. Not wanting to startle her, he hid behind large leaves growing near the shore. She appeared to be conversing with a small black and white bird, perched upon her shoulder, laughing and skipping around. She seemed so content, so carefree, her childishness radiating off of her in a cool moonlight. She ran towards the shoreline, her tanned bare feet contrasting against the ivory sand. "See Mr. Petrel no krill for you! Hehe!" she repeated looking towards the bird, still perched upon her shoulder. The young boy couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of this little girl talking to a bird.

The girl turned around, hearing someone else's voice, startled. "Did you hear something Mr. Petrel?" she looked up at her bird companion. The girl began walking towards the floral growth which the boy was hiding in. "Hello?" she called out towards the growth. Nervously, the boy covered his mouth not wanting to get caught, yet the girl kept getting closer. "Hello..? Anybody there?" she called out once again, now only a few feet away from the boy. She peered behind the vegetation and caught sight of something strange, a golden strand. Curious she reached out and tangled her fingers in the soft golden strands of a ponytail and tugged, pulling along with it a very confused and startled boy.

"Ow ow owww _ca fait mal! ca fait mal! arrête!" _he cried out in french, placing his hands over his head in an attempt to free himself from the girl's grasp. The girl only tilted her head in confusion and tugged again, not understanding the strange sounds coming from the boy. "That hurts! Please stop!" he attempted again, this time in english in hopes that the girl would understand. Thankfully, she understood his accented English and released his hair from her grasp.

"Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you" she quickly apologized, "I've never seen such strange hair before! Are you from another world?" the small island girl asked as she looked up in at him in amazement. She was immediately fascinated by his strange features. Every person she had encountered on her island shared her darkened caramel colored skin, almond eyes and dark hair with very few variations. Yet the boy before her did not posses skin of caramel but ivory, his eyes did not resemble the rich color of an almond but that of the clear oceans she loved to roam, and his hair resembled that of honey, which intrigued the island girl the most.

Noticing the girl's comment, the boy couldn't help but chuckle. "I am not from another world, non, but I am from somewhere far far away" At this the girl's eyes lit up with interest.

"Really?! From where? Who are you? Did you fly here on a giant birdy?! Does everyone have such strange eyes and hair where you're from and such funny clothes? Tell me!" the girl insisted now tugging at the boy's coat sleeve.

The boy smiled down at the girl, by the looks of it she couldn't be much older than ten which would explain her wild imagination. "Slow down slow down! So many questions at once _ma amie_!" the boy laughed a bit in amusement "I am François Bonnefoy, but you may call me Francis _ma petite mademoiselle _" He spoke politely kissing the girls hand "I am from a faraway place known to many as France, the home of romance and wonderful food!" he smiled softly at the girl, even at the age of thirteen Francis was already a hopeless romantic.

"How did you get here? Why do you look so strange and speak so funny?" The girl asked again, pulling up Francis's sleeve to get a closer look of it's strange pale blue fabric.

"Before answering your questions, may I have your name _ma petite mademoiselle._" he responded.

"Me? Call me Chelly! I don't like my whole name Michelle all that much, and why do you keep calling me a putee mademois-moissomething?" the girl beamed up at Francis and continued prodding him for answers. Francis proceeded to answer the girl's questions, explaining that his native tongue was French and how he'd come to this Island on his first voyage away from home. Michelle hung onto every word, interested in the strange world the boy described, a world of strange fashions, strange foods and something called a monarchy, all things of which little Michelle had never heard of before. They continued to converse with each other throughout the night until daybreak.

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**AN: So I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter, this is my first fanfiction so sorry if it's a bit choppy in chapter lengths (future chapters will hopefully be longer). Also I know very little French and have used a translator in addition to the tiny (microscopic) amount of French I know to make up France's conversations so I appolgize if it's oddly worded. Please R&R! Thank you :D**

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[1] Cape Patrel, the name of a bird native to the islands of Seychelles


	2. Chapter 2: A Heart Laced Up With Ribbons

**Chapter Two: A Heart Laced Up With Ribbons**

_Three Years Later..._

The sun beamed down on the tiny Island nation as Michelle yawned, her eyes fluttering open. She moved around slightly on her hammock and soaked up the sun before leaning down to peer at the hammock below her. _"Ouvre les yeux Francis" __**[1]**_she called out in french, which she had picked up over the years, in an attempt to awake the sleeping Frenchman beneath her. She was met with a unwilling groan as a response. "Francis! It's time to wake up!" She exclaimed, hopping down from her hammock and onto his landing right on top of him. She leaned forward and shook his shoulders, her feathery hair falling onto his face, tickling his nose. The boy beneath her attempted to remain still in protest, an act commonly done when he wasn't particularly in the mood for waking up, however he couldn't resist the urge to twitch his nose in response to the soft fruity strands of hair brushing against him. "I know you're awake I can see you trying not to laugh Francis! You know you're a horrible actor" she giggled as she continued shaking the boy's shoulders.

"_D'accor d'accor! Je suis debout! _I'm awake! Heh stop that tickles! You need to tie your hair up Chelly_" _Francis finally gave in as he opened his eyes to look up at the Island girl beaming down at him. He couldn't help but smile back up at her and her daily routine of waking him up. For the past three years she woke him up nearly every day, yet he acted surprised at her actions every time. He was only thankful that she didn't resort to full out tickling this time.

Michelle hopped down from the hammock and stood up to breathe in the fresh sea air. "You know sleeping in isn't good for you Francis." she said playfully scolding him. "Now we have things to do today" she stated as she began pacing in front of him "we have to go out and get more Star Fruit, I'm running low, and your father wanted us to get more fabrics from my village. Oh! and don't forget the festival that's coming up we have to get a few things for that as w-" Michelle kept moving around in circles until her foot became lodged between a tree root and the ground sending her toppling towards the sand. Having caught sight of her, Francis reached out, breaking the girl's fall. He looked down at her and pulled his arms up beneath her knees and her back for balance and held her bridal style.

"Watch out _ma petite Chelles_" he chuckled a bit still maintaining a firm grip on the girl. His eyes were transfixed on her innocent, and even cute expression. She stared up at him, startled, her cheeks flushed pink from the two's sudden close proximity. She couldn't help but notice that Francis's gaze seemed a bit off but decided on not commenting. She instead, decided on clearing her throat before she died of the unbearable awkwardness she now felt, although she wasn't sure why. She had been close with Francis before plenty of times, he'd carried her on countless occasions, she even jumped on top of him while sleeping on a daily basis yet something about the way he held her now in this slightly intimate fashion perplexed mind and her emotions. Not that it was a bad awkwardness, but an awkwardness nonetheless, one that she didn't feel like sorting out.

Hearing Michelle clear her throat, Francis snapped out of his gaze and immediately set her down, feeling his own pale cheeks begin to flush red. "_A-ah je suis desole_ I wanted to make sure you were alright." He apologized, quickly turning away "I-I'll meet you down at the beach I have to get a few things." His comment was met with a slightly confused look from Michelle however once again she decided not to question his response as she grabbed her bag and made her way down to the beach. "Idiot idiot idiot!" Francis scolded himself as he walked towards the mirror that he and Michelle had set up against a tree. He glanced at himself noticing his still flushed cheeks, and golden stubble beginning to grow along his chin. He reached up and and entangled his fingers in his flaxen hair in frustration. "She probably thinks you're a creepy, or well creepier, very smooth." he sighed softly, a bit surprised at his behavior. It wasn't like Francis to freak out over a small gesture much less scold himself for it, he was usually much more calm and collected; at the most he'd play it off as a joke, yet for some reason this time he felt himself fill with embarrassment along with another emotion that he wasn't quite able to place.

Francis quickly made his way down to the beach where he spotted Michelle sitting along the shore line, drawing arbitrary figures in the damp sand, waiting for him to join her so they could continue with their day. He walked down towards her and gently tapped the top of her dark chestnut head and smiled "You know Chelly you're going to get wet if you keep sitting so close to the shore. So why don't we get going, where's the first place we're supposed to go to?" He asked as he playfully rested his arm against the younger girl's head.

"Hey I'm not an armrest!" she protested "and we have should stop by the marketplace first so we can pick up the fruit and fabrics" She stood up, brushing Francis's arm off of her in mock anger, grabbed her bag and proceeded to walk, knowing that he would surely follow. They walked along together through the island's terrains until they approached a small outdoor marketplace, buzzing with the liveliness of vendors selling all they had to offer. The air filled with the sweet smell of fresh fruits mixed with homemade perfumes. In this common place, frenchmen and islanders alike were welcomed. This caused the area to become a unique blend of the island's culture and French culture. This blend could be heard through the mesh of french and native languages, better known as creole, widely being spoken amongst the people. Michelle's wondering eyes roamed the tables and stands set up in search of something that pleased her, star fruit, while Francis's wondering eyes caught something else that pleased him.

"_Excuse-moi _may I ask how much is that locket?" Francis asked a merchant after Michelle had gone off in another direction in search of her beloved fruit. While walking he had caught sight of the small silver heart-shaped locket and immediately thought of it as the perfect gift for Michelle. Her thirteenth birthday was coming up, and as tradition on the island a festival would be held as coming of age celebration. He had been looking for the right gift to give her that would not only be useful but meaningful and this, he believed, was it. He paid the merchant and smiled as he tied the necklace up in a small white pouch with two red ribbons then set off to find Michelle.

_"Ah Monsieur Bonnefoy" _a familiar voice called out to Francis as he walked. He turned around to see his father's first mate Guillaume standing there, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "I have news from your father, we will be undocking the ship at sunset today, he will explain more to you in person, I apologize for the short notice." He explained to him. Francis only stared up at the man before him in utter disbelief as anger began to boil up in his veins. However, he maintained composer on the outside and simply dismissed Guillaume before he turned around and nearly ran out of the market place. His mind went blank as he stormed down beach, leaving behind an oblivious Michelle in his haste.

The oblivious Island girl continued looking around for her fruit before she noticed the absence of her french companion. She'd completely lost track of time and looked around not catching sight of him anywhere. "Francis?" she called out as she wandered through the crowd of shoppers, now beginning to get worried. "Excuse me" she asked mumbled softly, addressing one of the merchants. "Have you seen a french boy about ye high, pale blonde hair blue eyed?" she asked as she held her hand above her head in an attempt to capture Francis's height.

"Ah yes" the merchant responded "he was one of my customers, I think he was headed in the direction of the beach" Michelle thanked the merchant and headed off out of the marketplace towards the beach. She was confused, it wasn't like Francis to suddenly leave, much less without a word. Why, what reasons would he have to vanish without a word. The thought not only confused the girl but also infuriated her. How could he leave her behind like that, she had never done anything like that to him, she'd always let him know where she was going if she left and she certainly wouldn't leave him suddenly in the midst of a crowd. The thoughts kept running through her mind, fueling her anger as she made her way to the beach. By the time she reached the shore she was ready to scream. However when she looked around, however she did not find the boy she so desperately wanted to direct her anger towards but instead a massive ship. "Francis!?" she yelled as she began walking towards their hangout spot. "_Francis Bonnefoy! Où êtes-vous?__**[2]**_

Francis sat in his hammock alone, clutching tightly onto the small silken pouch he'd purchased earlier that day. He'd spent the past hour sitting in silence, looking around at the little hang out area they'd put together over the years. The area that was filled with so many lovely memories, stories, and laughs. He couldn't bare the thought of having to suddenly leave that all behind, to leave behind his little Chelly. At that thought he clutched the pouch tighter. He laid back in his hammock and stared up at the fiery sky. He could already hear the ship pulling up near the shore, along with the sound of his name being shouted from a distance.

Michelle walked into their hangout spot and caught of Francis sitting down in his hammock, yet he had a solemn aura aura around him. At that moment, Michelle's anger vanished and was replaced with concern and a certain uneasiness she wasn't quite sure why. "_Francis..? Vous allez bien?_ Are you alright?" she asked walking towards his hammock and sat down. Francis just sat there in silence, hanging his head, hiding his face behind his flaxen locks. "Francis, you're beginning to worry me" she said softly placing her small hand over his.

Michelle's hand on top of his seemed to be the one thing that snapped Francis out of his trance. He moved his hand around slightly gripping hers back , giving it a gently squeeze. "Michelle," he spoke her name softly, his voice maintaining an unusual softness. She looked up at him her almond colored eyes filled with confusion and worry, very rarely did he ever address her by her full name. "Do you trust me?" he asked her.

"Oh course, you haven't given me a reason not to" she responded.

"Do you trust that if I were to leave someday I'd come back for you" he asked again, clutching tighter to both her hand and the pouch in his other.

"What do you mean Francis, why would you ask a silly question like that" She responded, her voice beginning to quiver.

"Because _ma cherie,_ I'm going to need you to trust me" he spoke softly, bring his hand up to the girl's face to wipe away the tears that were now beginning to fall down her cheeks. "Michelle, over the past few years that I've spent with you here on this island have been extraordinary, you were my first friend. To this day I can remember that goofy look you had on your face when you pulled my hair and how silly you looked talking to Mr. Patrel. I've come to realize that you're the person who means the most to me. I've come to love seeing your smiling bubbly face in the mornings, despite how much I protest. I've come to love laughing and running along the beaches with you and staying out all night in our hammocks staring up at the stars"

"But Francis, I'm confused, why are you saying all of this suddenly. You're really starting to scare me" she cut him off, staring at him, searching for an answer in his azure eyes.

"I'm saying this because, I'm going to have to go for a while Chelles, but I need you to know that no matter what I will come back for you" he whispered as he pulled her into a hug.

"Y-You're leaving, you can't leave Francis, you can't!?" she exclaimed wrapping her arms around him and buried her face into his chest feeling hot tears trace down her cheeks.

"_Je suis desole _I promise in the end everything will be alright._"_ he placed his hand on her back in an attempt to sooth her before he pulled back and grabbed her hand. He placed a silken white pouch, tied neatly with two crimson ribbons into the girl's hand and looked up at the crying girl. Michelle looked down at the bag in confusion. Francis tugged at the end of the ribbons, untying them as he lightly brushed his fingers through the girl's hair. He then took the ribbons and tied each one into her hair. "You know _ma petite Chelles, _I was going to get you this for your birthday" he said as he reached into the pouch and pulled out a beautiful silver locket. "but I think this is a more appropriate time to give this too you." He stood up and moved behind Michelle, placing the locket around her neck before he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace.

"F-Francis, you didn't have to." she choked feeling more tears threaten to roll down her cheeks.

"Ah but I did, and do you want to know what it says" he leaned closer, resting his head against her shoulder. She nodded her head, unable to utter a response. "It says _Mon cœur est en mer, _my heart is at sea. That's you Chelly, here on this island at sea there you are, _mon coeur_" he gave her another squeeze, absorbing her fresh fruity scent. "I-I love you Chelles, and I promise I'll come back for you, I just need you to promise me that you'll wait for me. Will you wait for me?" he asked, holding her tight and buried his face into her chestnut hair.

Michelle was left speechless, she hadn't imagined that in this day her best friend would not only profess his love for her but also disappear from her life for god knows how long. This was all so overwhelming, but something within her didn't want to let him go without an answer. Somehow she knew that the feelings she had towards the Frenchman in front of her were something she couldn't ignore. She knew that she wanted him to come back for her that she would wait for him. He had captured her heart and laced it up with ribbons and she believed that it would remain that way until the day he'd come back for her.

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**AN: Sorry the end is a bit choppy I'm writing this at 6 AM and I haven't slept whoop! Some notes about the story, Seychelles and France only speak to each other in french, anything that is written in french without a direct translation will have it's translation at the bottom of the page below. Thank you for reading please R&R :)**

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[1] Open your eyes

[2] Where are you?


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